The Girl All the Bad Guys Want
by lieutenants-lady
Summary: (AU)(RS) Hoshi Sato moves to a new school, and catches the eye of the school's bad boy, Malcolm Reed. CHAPTER TWO IS UP
1. A New Start

Hello!

LieutenantsLady here.

I know I have some other fics to work on, but this one just bugged me until I started to write it.

It's going to be rated PG 13 for any language that might slip out.

Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters in the Enterprise universe, unfortunately. I gain no profit from writing this fic, and any infringement on Paramount's legal rights is unintentional. Please don't sue me! I'm just a poor student. Trust me, you wouldn't get much.

I called Hoshi's parents Agama and Dashiki Sato in 'What a Difference a Day Makes'. I'm using the same names again, because I like them. This is a completely separate fic though. I'm just letting you know in case you get confused.

I know there is more of an age difference between Malcolm and Hoshi than four years, but for this fic, there's not.

Slight spoiler for 'First Flight'

Thanks to my beta, G.Eliot for the advice and constructive criticism. You rock!!

I got the idea for this fic from the Bowling For Soup song 'The Girl All the Bad Guys Want'. I mightn't stick to the theme of the song, but I love the title.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Hoshi! Hoshi! Hurry up. You're going to be late for school, and you haven't even had breakfast yet."

Hoshi could hear the irritation in her father's voice, but chose to ignore it. So what if she was late for her first day? It's not as if she actually wanted to go to Cochran High School in Colorado Springs.

"Hoshi! Get down here now!" her father yelled, going from irritation to angry in the space of a minute. "I mean it. You have twenty seconds. One... two... three..."

"Alright, I'm coming!" Hoshi shouted down to him. "Just give me a minute."

She picked up her brush and started to brush her long dark hair. She squinted at the streaks of red that ran through it, and sighed. It would have to be dyed again soon. That reminded her; she needed to find a good hairdresser. Something else to add to the endless list of things for her to do.

She resisted the urge to stomp down the stairs in a fit of juvenile petulance and entered the kitchen. Her father was sitting at the table reading a paper. Her mother wasn't there yet, and Hoshi assumed that she was still in the shower.

Agama lowered the paper as his fifteen year-old daughter sat down at the table. Her jaw was stuck out at an angle to let him know that she still hadn't forgiven them for moving her from her home in Atsugi in Japan to Colorado Springs. Agama stifled a particular surge of anger that arose in him whenever she displayed such juvenile behaviour, and folded his paper. This would have to be dealt with once and for all.

"Hoshi? Drop it."

"Excuse me?"

"I said drop it. The sulky child act has gotten pretty tired now. You are always asking us to treat you like an adult, so start acting like one."

Hoshi's face suffused red in anger.

"I am not acting like a child," she protested.

"Oh yes you are. Ever since we told you about the move, you've done nothing but sulk and make snide remarks. That is hardly the behaviour of an adult."

"What do you expect me to do? You tell me one day that Mom has been offered a job in the United States, and that we are moving. I grew up in Atsugi, all my friends and family are there. You pull me out of there against my will, you won't let me stay with Grandpa and Grandma like I asked, and they offered. God Dad, I won't be happy here."

"We wanted you here with us, not all the way across the world. That's why you're not staying with my parents. Give it a chance Hosh, that's all I'm asking. You're school has an incredible language programme, we live in a lovely house, and your mother has a wonderful job. The Cochran Institute of Engineering head-hunted her specifically to teach, and she loves it there. I can be an artist anywhere, but your mother really wants this to work. Now, I will miss Japan too, and our family and friends, but I love your mother and I love you, and I know that we could be very happy here if we give it a chance."

Hoshi looked at him, disbelievingly. They both turned when footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"Hoshi," her father whispered. "Please give this a chance, and don't say anything to upset your mother. Please?"

Hoshi looked torn for a moment, and in that second, her mother entered.

"Hoshi," she breezed. "All set for your first day?"

She looked very surprised when Hoshi smiled brightly at her, and said "Yep Mom. You ready to drop me off?" For a moment, Dashiki was speechless. That was the first smile that she had seen on her only child's face in months, and she was taken aback a little.

"Of... of course Hoshi," she stammered. Hoshi grinned and ran upstairs to get her back-pack. Dashiki turned her stunned glance to her husband, who looked vastly amused.

"I haven't seen you this speechless since Hoshi dyed her hair."

"Do you know what that change was about?"

"Nope," Agama lied. "Maybe she's just adjusting."

"I don't know," Dashiki replied as Hoshi bounded down the stairs.

"Ready?" she asked her still stunned mother.

"Of course."

"Good luck Hoshi. You'll do great," her father called as they left. "I hope." he murmured to himself.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The sun shone brightly down as they pulled up in front of the school. It was a large, modern building made of granite. Yet Hoshi found it beautiful to look at, with all its sharp angles and clean lines. Students streamed through the double doors of the airy building and Hoshi felt a twinge of nervousness. There were so many people!

"Now honey," her mother was saying, "You know what to do, don't you? You go to the office and ask for Mr. Darcy. He'll give you you're timetable, and..."

"Mom," Hoshi interrupted, exasperated, "Yes, I know what to do. You've already told me fifty times since yesterday. Now, I've gotta go. I don't want to be late for my first day."

"Alright. I know a 'get lost' when I hear it," Dashiki grinned. "You're father will be here to pick you up after school. Good luck!"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Now, we've all heard the story of Cochran's first warp flight, but did you know that Warp Three was breached just two short weeks ago? It seems that Commander's A.G. Robinson and Jonathan Archer stole..."

Mr. Collins' history class was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mr. Darcy, the principal entered followed by a young Japanese girl with dark hair with red streaks through it. She looked nervous to Mr. Collins, but the set of her jaw indicated that she wished no-one to realize it.

"Mr. Collins, everyone," Darcy began, turning to face the class. "This is Hoshi Sato. She's joining us from Atsugi, Japan, and I know you are going to make her feel right at home. Aren't you?" he asked, soliciting a general murmur from the class. He gave them all a pointed stare as he left and Hoshi stood nervously at the top of the class.

"Welcome Hoshi," Mr. Collins said, indicating to an empty seat near the front. He could see that she was pretending not to notice the curious stares that she was getting from her fellow classmates, and he decided to try to get the class back on track so she'd feel less self-conscious.

"We were just about to discuss the success of the Warp Three flight two weeks ago. Tell me; are you familiar with the history of the Warp engine?"

"Yes sir," she answered sweetly. "My mother is an engineer, and she's always talking about the developments in Warp theory."

"Excellent. Now, what was I saying? Oh yes. It appears that the two commanders stole the test ship X-02 straight from..."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The class ended shortly after, and Hoshi stood, feeling lost in the sea of chatter and friends. She had spent half the morning being shown around the school by Mr. Darcy, and it was much bigger than it appeared from the outside. The facilities were top class though, and she listened eagerly as Darcy explained about the language programme.

Hoshi loved languages, always had. She had a talent for them, picking them up easily and could already speak nine languages despite her young age. Upon hearing this and consulting her old school records, Darcy put her down for French and Russian classes with the seniors.

"You look a bit nervous. Are you ok?" A kind voice asked from behind her, startling her out of her reverie. She turned to see a very pretty girl whose deeply tanned skin and dark hair proclaimed her to be of Hispanic descent.

"Is it that obvious?" Hoshi asked, smiling shyly.

"Not really, but I was the new girl last year, and I know how hard it is to start in the middle of a term," the other girl laughed. "My name is Rosa Martinez."

"Hoshi Sato. Pleased to meet you," Hoshi extended her hand to shake.

"Likewise. Have you gotten your locker number yet?" Rosa asked her.

"Yep. It's... um... It's here somewhere," Hoshi said, scrambling around in her bag for the scrap of paper with the locker number written on it. "Aha, success!" she cried triumphantly, holding it up. Rosa laughed along with her, and scanned it.

"Cool, you're just a few lockers down from me. I can show you the way if you like." Rosa offered tentatively, extending the hand of friendship, which Hoshi gladly grabbed.

"That'd be wonderful. Thank you."

"No problem. What do you have next?" Rosa asked, consulting Hoshi's timetable. "Let's see, oh, you have Mrs. Carter for Communications Technology. So do I. Carter's cool enough, but a little strict at times." They had reached her locker by that point, and Rosa leaned against one while Hoshi loaded up her books. When she had finished, they moved on to Rosa's.

"After Com. Tech. we have lunch. If you'd like, you can sit with us. I can introduce you to my friends."

"Thank you," Hoshi replied with feeling. She was going to add more, but she was distracted by a boy walking down the corridor. No, not a boy. The man walking towards her looked as if he had left all traces of boyhood behind long ago.

His blue jeans were moulded onto his muscles legs and the black tee-shirt he wore clung to his well defined arms and flat stomach. His hair was short, dark and spiked, and dark sun-glasses prevented her from seeing her eyes. Though he was not too tall, he exuded power and authority, and a hint of danger hung around him like a shield. He walked straight and swiftly, stopping to talk to no-one, and the corridor seemed to hush as he walked through it.

As he passed Hoshi and Rosa, Hoshi sensed his eyes flicker towards her behind his dark glasses, but only for a moment. He walked on, as if he had never looked at her, but Hoshi felt a thrill run through her.

"Who was that?" she exclaimed, resisting the urge to look down the corridor to see just how tight his jeans were in the back.

"That was Malcolm Reed," Rosa answered, disapproval evident in her voice. "Trust me; you don't want to get to know him."

"Why not?"

"He's has the worst reputation in the school. He's dangerous."

"And gorgeous," Hoshi silently added, but decided on a more tactful reply.

"He goes after all the girls?" she asked Rosa, really interested in their topic of conversation.

"No. In fact, he doesn't date anyone from school. I'm talking about his background."

"He looks older than most people here."

"He is. He's nineteen. He's older cos of that year he spent in prison."

Hoshi whipped around to face her. "Prison?"

"Come one. I'll tell you about it on the way to Com. Tech," Rosa replied, pulling a stunned Hoshi in her wake.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 **

What do you think? Go on, be honest. I can take it.


	2. Meetings

Hi. Thank you all for your reviews and encouragement. I really appreciate it.

Thanks also to my Beta GEliot, for being just so damn cool!!!

Anyway, a few people have commented that Malcolm in prison doesn't seem right. Just keep saying to yourself AU AU AU! In my alternate universe, people behave differently and circumstances are different. Things happen and the characters make stupid mistakes etc. Just bear with me, ok?

Anywho, on with the fic...

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

As it turned out, Hoshi and Rosa had no time to discuss the complexities of Malcolm Reed on the way to Com. Tech. The bell had rung, and they had to sprint to avoid being late for class, and were both too out of breath to talk before Mrs. Carter came in, almost right behind them.

Hoshi found Communications Technology a fascinating subject. This was not a course that had been offered in Japan and she picked up the subject with surprising ease, despite the fact she joined the class mid-semester. Once she had mastered the layout of the console in front of her, it came naturally. She felt that language seemed to coincide with this focus of study. The two seemed interconnected. She had a good ear for subtle nuances, and Hoshi had a feeling that she was going to like it there, despite her protests to the contrary.

The lunch bell rang, and Hoshi followed Rosa to the cafeteria. The two girls had chatted throughout the class, and Rosa had been very helpful. Hoshi was glad of her offer of friendship. The truth be told, she was very nervous about meeting new people. At least she hadn't had to ride the bus to school this morning!!

They took their trays, and Rosa motioned her over to a table in the centre of the room. There were four people sitting there already, and they all greeted Rosa as she sat. Rosa introduced them as Jack Rivers, Ian Helm, Trevor Mitchell and Stacey Tate. Hosh felt shy at their frank and curious stares. Sensing this, Jack apologized.

"Sorry Hoshi. Believe me; we know what it's like to be on the receiving end of all the curious looks. We were the new kids last year, so we sort of gravitated towards each other."

"Where did you live before you moved here?" Hosh asked politely. As she listened to him describing Boston, a flash of sunlight reflecting off dark sunglasses caught her attention. She turned her head slightly, and looked across the cafeteria. Yep. There he was. Sitting two tables away was Malcolm Reed

He was picking idly at some lunch, and reading a PADD that he held in his hand. He seemed thoroughly engrossed in it, and didn't seem to notice Hoshi's scrutiny. Rosa did though, and turned to see what Hoshi was staring at.

"Ooh," she teased good-naturedly. "Hoshi's got her eye on Reed."

Hoshi blushed under the gently teasing, and they all grinned back at her. Rosa sobered after a moment.

"Seriously though Hoshi, I meant what I said earlier. He's dangerous. You should stay away from him."

"What? Is he just some dumb thug?"

"No, just the opposite. He's really intelligent, practically a genius. He just comes to class, and doesn't even listen and he aces every exam. He's a thinking man. That makes him even more dangerous."

"That's like the third time you've said he's dangerous. How? How is he dangerous? What did he do? What did he go to prison for?"

"Well," Rosa answered, looking around her to see if anyone was listening, "No one knows for sure what he was in for, though we know he was in jail. He moved to Colorado with his mother and sister five years ago when he was fourteen. He was small for his age, and some twelfth graders decided he was fair play. Five eighteen year olds cornered him one day. Now these were big guys, lots of muscle."

"Football players," Trevor added.

"There was a fight, and by the end of it, there were five cracked ribs, two broken fingers, a cracked shin-bone, a concussion and a ton of bruising."

Hoshi whistled through her teeth. "Poor Malcolm," she commented.

"Poor Malcolm!?!" Ian laughed. "He caused those injuries!"

"What!?!"

"Yeah," Stacey answered eager to get in on the act. "He took down five eighteen year olds without even breaking a sweat."

"So, that doesn't mean he was in jail."

"Yes it does. With any other case of a fight on school grounds, both parties are suspended and their parents are called in. but, they called the cops on Reed! Mary Coady was sitting outside Mr. Darcy's office waiting to talk to him when the cops came. Malcolm was inside with Darcy. She heard them talking. She heard them tell him that he had a responsibility not to hurt them, just because he could."

"So? That still doesn't mean he was in jail."

"I'm not finished. They told him that if word of his record ever got out, he'd have to move again. He'd never be able to live a normal life if people found out what happened in England."

"What happened in England?"

"No one knows. After Mary told everyone what she overheard, and after the story of ihis fight got around the school, no one dared. People are afraid of him, and don't want to cross him."

"Has he ever been in another fight?"

"Nope." Jack admitted. "No one is stupid enough to fight him, especially after what happened to those footballers."

"Well, what was he inside for?" Hoshi asked, riveted.

"Well," Rosa told her, leaning in close to relay the juicy gossip, "He has a killer car, so the most popular theory is he was in for boosting cars or assault..."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Malcolm sighed, and pushed his plate away. He pretended engrossment in the weapons designs in front of him, but it was a charade. He could hear every word that had been said about him only two tables away. God, would people ever learn tact? He wanted to put that part of his life behind him, to forget that one event that robbed him of eighteen months of his childhood. But no. Every time someone new came to the school, they dug up his past.

He shuddered as images and memories from that one fateful night crashed over him like a tidal wave. In his minds eye, he saw the flash of steel, heard the screams of pain. He heard again the echo of the gunshot, saw the blood pouring from the hole in the man's chest, and saw the hate that burned in his eyes as he cursed Malcolm with his dying breath. His mind conjured images of his year long incarceration in that small room. He couldn't just get up and leave, no matter how much he wanted to. He just had to sit there, staring at the walls of his six-foot by eight-foot prison of his own making.

And then, when he got out, the whispers started. They followed him wherever he went. In the end, his mother Mary had moved him and Madeleine to Colorado Springs, as far away as she could get. But, it hadn't rested there. If those bullies hadn't picked on him during his first few weeks, things might have been different. But as it was, he was the designated bad-boy of the school. And frankly, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

He felt strangely disappointed though. The new girl was so eager to learn all the gossip and half truths about him. He had her pegged differently. His eyes had flickered towards her for an instant in the hall, and he felt a flash of something. Kinship maybe? There was something in her eyes that drew him to her. She looked a little young, but he liked her style.

Hoshi. That was her name. He'd overheard Rosa introducing her to the others. It meant Star in Japanese, and it suited her. Her eyes shone like stars, and she had a sweet smile.

A clatter from the table next to him startled him, and he schooled his features into an impassive mask when he saw who it was sitting down. Hayes and his bunch of assholes. Terrific. There was no love lost between the two. In fact, Malcolm was of the opinion that Hayes was an incompatent moron, with his head so far up his own ass that he could see daylight.

Hayes was surrounded by his pack of MACO wannabies; Woods, Ramirez, Cole, Mackenzie, Hawkins. They were all intent on joining the service when they left school, and acted like it. They wore combats and boots constantly, they referred to each other by their last names and in the cases of the males in the group, they screwed everything in a skirt. Yep, defiantly military men. And it seemed that they had set their sights on something new.

"Did you guys see that new chick from Japan?" Hayes asked his friends. The guys all grunted their agreement. "I think her name's Hoshi Seti or something like that."

"She's fairly hot," Hawkins agreed. "Sweet looking, innocent..."

"A challenge." Hayes grinned.

"No way," Woods argued. "Hayes, she's a freshman, you're a senior. That's jail-bait."

"Maybe she goes for the older man," Hawkins leered.

"Well, even freshmen grow up sometime, don't they?" Hayes asked.

Cole and Mackenzie rolled their eyes and the two girls left the table to get food. They knew the guys were going to be planning, and they didn't want to get involved. Especially Cole. She had a thing for Hayes, but he never looked at her twice. She settled for being 'a friend' and 'one of the guys'. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to be a MACO; she had known her entire life. She was still human though. And occasionally, human hearts betray their owners.

"Damnit," she exclaimed, punching her fist into the wall. "Another one. Bastard." She swore.

"Come one Cole, lighten up," McKenzie cajoled. "Once he screws her, he'll get her out of his system."

"Until the next one comes along," Cole replied bitterly. "Well, I'm not going to take it again."

"What do you mean?" McKenzie asked worriedly. She had never seen Cole look like that before, and they'd known each other since they were children.

"It means that Hoshi Sato better watch her step. I'm not going to stand idly by again. It's time for action," Cole snarled and stormed out of the room, McKenzie following worriedly in her wake.

Malcolm didn't hear any of this though. He was too busy listening with incredulity to what Rosa was telling Hoshi. Next, she'd be telling her that he turned into a bat at night and drank people's blood. He couldn't help it. Laughing to himself, he stood up, picked up his tray, and headed for the exit.

"Don't forget to tell her about how I kidnapped the Queen of England and crowned myself king after killing her," he told Rosa as he passed their table, his vice dripping with sarcasm. Rosa and Hoshi flushed red, but Hoshi wouldn't be put down like that. She stood up and practically shouted at him.

"You know, if you just tell people what happened, they wouldn't have to guess and the rumors would stop."

The entire cafeteria seemed to hush at her words. No one had spoken back to Malcolm since the incident four years ago. Even Malcolm seemed surprised. He turned and walked backwards until he was practically nose to nose with her. He took off his sunglasses to fix her with his piercing blue stare. To give her credit, she didn't flinch... much. The rest of the table backed away, but Hoshi stood firm.

"And why would I do that?" he asked softly. His voice slid over like silk, but she sensed the danger in his voice and saw the haunted look in his eyes.

"So they would stop talking about you like this. It can't be healthy for this to go on." Hoshi practically whispered the last part out. The combination of his bright blue eyes and sexy voice had Hoshi's knees threatening to buckle, but she didn't yield.

"But Star, it's so much more fun this way," Malcolm said and quietly turned and walked away. No one breathed until the double doors closed behind him, and then whispers erupted, filling the room.

"What did he call you?" Ian asked. "Star?"

"Hoshi means star in Japanese," Hoshi replied distractedly. Her mind was too busy contemplating her first meeting with Malcolm Reed to even question how he knew that. From a distant, he was good looking. Up close, he was gorgeous. His accent sent shivers down her spine, and she was still feeling the aftershocks of their meeting when Rosa snapped her fingers in front of Hoshi to get her attention.

"Man, are you OK Hoshi? You seem a little zoned out there."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hoshi assured her. "Just a little distracted."

"Yep, Malcolm Reed will do that to you," Stacey agreed.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Malcolm felt good as he sat in class waiting for their Russian teacher to come in. He chose his usual seat by the window, and sat staring at the line of trees on the school grounds.

He had to hand it to her, Hoshi had guts. Most people would hear all those things being said about him, and turn and run. Instead, she stood up to him. Not only that, she did it for his sake.

"_You know, if you just tell people what happened, they wouldn't have to guess and the rumors would stop."_

"_It can't be healthy for this to go on"_

It had been a long time since someone... anyone had thought about him first. The idea that a tiny fifteen year old would do so felt... strange. Good, but strange.

The door opened and Malcolm turned, expecting to see their teacher enter. Instead, the object of his thoughts was walking into the class, looking so lost. She looked around, and the shock on her face was palpable when she was him there. This was Advanced Russian. There were very few people at the level to do this class. Certainly no freshman could be. She had to be lost.

Before he could say anything, their teacher, Mr. Castleman, entered and saw Hoshi.

"I think you're lost," he told her. "This is a senior class."

"I know sir, but Mr. Darcy put me in this class specifically. I have an ear for languages," Hoshi explained... in perfect Russian. She even had the accent down. She handed Castleman a piece of paper, obviously confirming what she had just said.

"Forgive me Ms. Sato," Mr. Ray asked. "I was told to expect a new student. I just didn't expect one so young to be so fluent."

Hoshi blushed under his praise, and Malcolm was intrigued.

She liked to show off her knowledge, but blushed under praise. She stands up for strangers, doing so at a risk. If half the stories about him were true, Malcolm could have just snapped her in half like a twig for shouting at him.

She was a bundle of contrasts.

Malcolm thought that it was going to be an interesting few months.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

He was here! In her class! Watching her like a hawk as she spoke to Mr. Castleman.

Thinking of ways to snap her in half like a twig, no doubt. God, what had she been thinking, shouting at him. People kept telling her he was dangerous, and what did she do? Shout at him and pissed him off.

'Great going Hoshi,' she berated herself. 'Do you have a death wish?'

One thing was certain; it was going to be an interesting few months.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

So, what do you think?


End file.
